diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 1b3e11e..326e975 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -75,7 +75,32 @@ outside this role.
 `notarius_promptkit_transient_retries` renders
 `promptkit.transient_retries` when set. The null default omits it so Notarius
 retains its native retry behavior; integer `0` disables additional eligible
-transient transport attempts.
+transient transport attempts. These are additional attempts per generation for
+eligible transient provider failures, separate from pipeline and validator
+retries. Review combined retry and timeout budgets for a deployment rather
+than treating these settings as interchangeable. See the tagged
+[v0.8.0 migration notes](https://gitea.maximumdirect.net/eric/notarius/src/tag/v0.8.0/docs/releases/v0.8.0.md)
+and [v0.8.1 configuration reference](https://gitea.maximumdirect.net/eric/notarius/src/tag/v0.8.1/docs/config.md).
+
+## Upgrading to v0.8.1
+
+Notarius v0.8.0 replaced ConfigKit configuration selection via
+`--config-profile` and `profiles/<name>.yml` with `--config-overlay` and
+`overlays/<name>.yml`. Callers own their overlay files and application
+invocations; this role does not migrate files or select an overlay. The D&D
+suite's testing file and Narratio's downstream selector will be migrated
+together during coordinated suite integration, not by this standalone role.
+
+Configuration overlays are distinct from PromptKit LLM profiles.
+`notarius_promptkit_profile_dir` and `notarius_promptkit_profile_file` still
+select LLM-profile sources, while pipeline `llm_profile` and `--llm-profile`
+still select an LLM profile. Those names and meanings are unchanged.
+
+The v0.8.1 PromptKit dependency refresh changes profile-source checkpoint
+identity, so old checkpoints with the previous identity are not reused.
+Source-keyed chunk plans and published output are unaffected. Installing the
+role does not delete caches or force processing stages; see the tagged
+[v0.8.1 release notes](https://gitea.maximumdirect.net/eric/notarius/src/tag/v0.8.1/docs/releases/v0.8.1.md).
 
 ## Example
 
@@ -92,8 +117,9 @@ syntax checking and production-profile lint, and exercises the default CLI and
 native configuration validation before requiring clean repeated convergence.
 It verifies an explicitly selected Notarius release, combines missing-binary
 recovery with a caller-supplied Go executable while dependency management is
-disabled, and covers one representative configuration with null omission,
-intentional falsey values, caller-side pipeline composition through a
+disabled, and checks null omission and explicit zero transport retries in
+rendered and effective configuration. A representative configuration also
+covers intentional falsey values, caller-side pipeline composition through a
 test-owned ConfigKit import, and native validation and inspection. It mutates
 only the managed source, binary, configuration, a test-owned imported fragment,
 and a private temporary directory, then restores the default deployment during